It is possible to use eggs, meat and down from ducks and geese. The down is often used to make comforters, pillows and warm clothing.

Ducks and geese

Since ancient times, people have kept ducks and geese as domestic animals. Tame domestic fowl most likely came to the Nordic countries in the 15th century. Today domestic ducks and geese are mostly or all white and are mainly bred for meat purposes. They cannot fly, because they are too heavy. It is important to recognize the male ducks, as is it not recommended to have too many of them in a group of females, due to competition. You can recognize a male duck by the sound of their quack (soft and rough), in comparison to the females that have a hard and loud quack. Males also have curled feathers near their tail. One of the most famous examples of this is the curled tail of Donald Duck.

Type of family

Drake, hen and duckling. Gander, goose and gosling

Mating season

In the spring

Number of young

3-4 ducklings and 1-10 goslings

Arrival time in Iceland

Unknown

Weight

Ducks are 1.5-2 kg and geese 2.8-3.5 kg

Pregnancy period

21 days for ducks and 28-35 days for geese

Uses

Meat, eggs and feathers

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